CALGARY — A veteran Calgary police officer who was accused but later cleared of smuggling guns across the border wants the Canadian Border Services Agency to investigate its own.

Mike Carroll, who has 27 years experience as a police officer, says his rights were violated and his reputation tarnished after his hobby of gun collecting landed him in hot water at the Canada-U.S. border.

Three years ago, he and his wife were returning to Canada from Montana when they were stopped by officials at the Carway border crossing.

Sun Media

He says he offered border guards a list of guns purchased at a gun show but the agents didn’t take it and searched the vehicle, seizing gun parts and ammunition.

Carroll says he and his wife were detained and questioned for more than seven hours.

He says even though he’s been cleared of any wrongdoing he now faces extensive searches when crossing the border.

And he says the incident has affected his career, saying he has been demoted and subjected to an internal investigation.

The Calgary Police Service says the change in rank was part of a “deliberate strategy” to move acting members and not a direct result of the investigation. Carroll has launched a formal complaint against the border officers and says he wants an explanation.

“For them to handcuff me and put me in a cell for three hours, it just seemed like they were trying to show what they could do,” he says.

The CBSA refused to comment on Carroll’s case and says it takes every complaint seriously.